Flight diverted to Boston; suspect held on federal assault charge
A Lufthansa flight from Chicago to Frankfurt was diverted to Boston on Oct. 25 after a 28-year-old passenger allegedly attacked multiple people onboard, including two teenagers and a female passenger.
Federal prosecutors say Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, a citizen of India, used a metal fork to stab two 17-year-old boys and attempted to assault others mid-flight. He was taken into custody by federal authorities upon landing at Boston Logan International Airport.
Violent Outburst Midair
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, Usiripalli stabbed one teen (“Minor A”) in the clavicle. The victim was wearing a thick sweatshirt, which likely prevented a more serious injury. The second teen (“Minor B”) was stabbed in the back of the head, sustaining a laceration.
Authorities say Usiripalli also slapped a female passenger and attempted to slap a flight crew member while being restrained.
Immigration Status in Question
Usiripalli entered the United States on a student visa in 2022 to attend Moody Theological Seminary in Chicago. However, prosecutors allege he no longer had lawful immigration status at the time of the incident.
The New York Times provides further details:
Mr. Usiripalli was arrested on Saturday after the plane landed in Boston. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison and up to three years of unsupervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
Mr. Usiripalli, an Indian national, did not have a lawyer listed in his criminal file as of Tuesday afternoon. Lufthansa said in a statement that passengers on the diverted flight were provided with hotels and rebooked on the next available flights to Germany out of Boston.
“The safety and well-being of our passengers and crew are always Lufthansa’s highest priority,” Tal Muscal, a spokesman for the airline, said in a statement.
It was not clear what led to the attack.
Usiripalli is scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.
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You can’t make this stuff up. He was a theological student? Which religion advocates random stabbing? He used a fork? Damn! Now we go back to plastic forks? If it was plastic, do we move to rubber forks? He’s been here illegally since 2022. No hurray to track him down and deport him. He’s just a poor young man seeking a better life. Have some pity. No, for the Indian former stabbing guy. Not for the two young men he assaulted. What does it take to wake people up?
You Know. If the Illegal Alien was NOT HERE! He would not be stabbing people here.
Moody, ya say….
Don’t convict him – DEPORT HIM!!!